Origin

Latin hospis meant both ‘host’ and ‘guest’. This has given us host (Middle English) itself (in the meaning ‘a person who entertains other people as guests’), hostel (Middle English), and hotel, as well as hospice (early 19th century), hospital, hospitality (Late Middle English), and hostile (late 16th century). Although the immediate source of guest (Old English) is Old Norse gestr, the history of the word can be traced back to an ancient root shared by Latin hostis.